I want to remain in your arms for all time
by Always Cartinelli
Summary: Sometimes falling in love is as easy as breathing. Sometimes it's rough as trying to swim up a waterfall. Sometimes it has a middle ground as strolling along a forest floor. The journey towards love and holding onto that love is what discovery of life truly is about.


**Chapter One:**

 **Prelude**

 **The Riverdale Fan Fiction Challenge Forum**

 **Bingo:**

 **Bingo Button (50) {Plot Point} Dancing Together**

Veronica held out a hand and waited for the blonde to take it.

Betty looked up at the person whom was the owner of the thin hand in her face. "I don't know Ronnie." She looked sideways out to the dance floor.

"Be brave B." Veronica waited for the blonde to take her hand.

Betty looked back up into the loving eyes of her soul. She sighed as she took the offered hand. She held it to her side. "I just don't want you to get hurt by this." She didn't allow the shorter brunette to lead her to the dance floor. Her hand gently pressed carefully against the back of the palm of the hand she was holding. Her hand was slightly shaking.

Veronica stepped closer. "We don't have to do this Betty. There are plenty of other times we can dance together in the public." She desperatly wanted to reach up and stroke the side of her secret girlfriend's cheek. But she just kept her hand at her side. No one would question them holding hands. Everyone knew they were those sort of best friends. Sides everyone knew that Betty was her girlfriend … it wasn't hidden. Expect the entire town agreed to keep it hidden from Alice Smith Cooper. Everyone knew that Alice would find a way to lock Betty up where she wouldn't have any freedom any longer.

The town of Riverdale loved Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper too much to risk that. They would protect Betty any way they can. Even helping keeping Betty and Veronica's relationship hidden from the very overbearing Mama Alice Cooper.

Betty breathed in deeply as she looked into Veronica's eyes. "No." She firmly said as she lifted her head. "This is our graduation dance Veronica. After this then we no longer are high school students … no longer children." She sighed. "We are almost nineteen years old. We are adults according to the United States government." She smiled. "I want to dance with my girlfriend once in my high school gym."

Veronica smiled back. She remained rooted to her spot. She wasn't going to be the one whom led out to the dance floor. That had to be Betty. This had to be Betty winning the war inside herself. She squeezed gently Betty's hand showering her love, and support.

Betty nodded towards the dance floor. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Veronica said just as the two girls turned, and walked to the dance floor together.

Betty gently guided Veronica to stand in front of her. Her hand rose to the right as she waited for Veronica's hand to raise to meet hers. She placed the palm of her hand against her girlfriend's. Interlocking their fingers as she wrapped her left arm around the slim waist of her soul's. She pressed Veronica closer to her front as she started to slowly sway to the music. She sighed in relief when Veronica rested her head on her bare shoulder. She rest her head against her soulmates. "I love you Veronica Lodge."

"I love you Betty Cooper." Veronica sighed into her soul's skin.

….

Hal placed a firm hand against his wife's right shoulder. "Don't you _dare_." He hissed into her ear. "Don't you even think of daring Alice." He looked into her fiery eyes. "Leave them alone."

Alice glared into her husband's eyes; then back at the dance floor. "I will not have Betty be torn through the thrones like this by that vile slut." She tried to jerk his hand from her shoulder. He just tightened it. "You may not care for our daughter Hal Cooper; but I do."

"Then leave Betty alone." Hal stepped even closer to his wife. "Get your head out of your ass all ready Alice dear; and finally fully see what everyone else had all ready seen since that August night back in '16!" He looked over his wife's head at the sight on the dance floor. His eyes softened. "The night that our daughter has met her soulmate." He looked back down into the fiery eyes of his wife. "If you try to rip Veronica from Betty then Alice you will never see our youngest daughter ever again. You'll never see our grandchildren through her ever."

Alice stepped up close to her husband. "Don't you dare threaten me Hal Cooper." She growled low in her throat.

"It's no threat Alice." Hal simply nodded to the dance floor.

Alice turned around just in time to see her daughter press her lips against Veronica's. She ripped her shoulder from her husband's hand. She took a step forward then she stopped dead in her tracks. She fully knew that Hal spoke the God's honest truth. If she did successfully manage to rip Veroncia away from Betty right now … then she would have destroyed all chances she would have to seeing Betty ever again. Let alone in children that Betty would raise.

She looked at her daughter with her head on Veronica's shoulder swaying to the music for a few silent moments. She turned to the right and walked silently away.

Hal sighed in relief. He knew that this wouldn't be the end of Alice's hatred towards Veronica. But Alice fully realized what was at the stake here. Perhaps in the years that are to come … Alice will finally find some softness in her war against the Lodges? Just her uncalled for hatred towards Hermione and Veronica at the least. He watched as his youngest daughter finally publically danced with her soulmate at a high school dance.

…..

"How long do you think that will last?" Jughead nodded his head over towards the deperating Alice Cooper.

Archie looked over at the older blonde. "If Alice wants any part of Betty's life in the furture and wants to see her grandchildren through Betty … then I think she'll finally begin to ease up." Hope shined in his eyes. "I think once Alice truly sees how loving and protective of Betty and their children that Veronica is then I think Mama Alice will finally accept Veronica."

"You hope to much Archie." Jughead sighed as he shook his head. He looked back at the dance floor. "At least now Alice won't try to force Betty and I together anymore." His lips thinned.

Archie's mouth twitched. "Sorry Jug. I just couldn't do that to Betty. I didn't want to truly destoy what we truly had just to help her out." Softness covered his eyes as he leaned against the wall. "I knew the moment that Veronica eyes were on Betty that I truly had no hope whatsover ever with her. I also knew that Betty felt exactly the same way."

Jughead tilted his head to the right. "You may not be as clueless as we all thought."

Archie looked mocked hurt. "You wound me Juggie. You are my best male friend here and you truly wound me."

"That's what you get for going after Veronica when you knew how Betty felt about you." Jughead frowned darkly.

Archie's eyes turned serious. "Look Jughead; Veronica and I knew that the only way that Betty can truly be with her without having to wait to graduate and move out of Riverdale was if we "dated" … she laid out the ground rules that there would be no gropping in private. That there would be no dates unless planned out well out." He breathed out. "I didn't count on you to actually fall for Betty."

"She felt something deep and real with me." Jughead pushed off the wall and leaned into Archie. "You and Veronica played a very dangerious game. You never even once thought of informing _me_ what the plan was. If I had only known what you two were up too … then I wouldn't have fallen in love with Betty myself."

Archie looked steady into his best friend's eyes; "But now you aren't afraid to be _in_ love." He spoke in a calm gentle voice.

"You were just using Betty..." Jughead growled as he suddenly grabbed the front of Archie's jacket.

"Let him go Juggie." Betty's soft voice spoke behind the boys.

Veronica stiffened as she waited for the lanky boy to turn his heated glaze onto her.

Jughead slowly let Archie go and he turned around to face Betty. "I didn't know Betty." He whispered as his hands wung at his sides. "If I had known then I never would have ..."

Betty stepped forward and lifted her right hand to rest against his cheek. "Hey." She whispered keeping eye contact with him.

"I can't do this with you right now. I just can't." Jughead stepped away. "I'm sorry." He turned and walked towards the exist.

Veronica glared into Archie's eyes. "Why Archie? Just why?" She demanded.

Betty watched as Jughead disapeared from sight. "Leave him alone Ronnie." She sighed as she turned her eyes to her fuming girlfriend in front of her best child hood friend.

Archie lowered his eyes. "I didn't mean to bring it up tonight." He sighed. "It just turned that way."

"Why would it turn that way?" Veronica demanded. "How on earth would it turn that way?"

Archie remained silent.

Betty's eyes drifted around the gym and she found her father standing by the side door. Her eyes looked around for her mother but she couldn't find her. "Leave Archie alone Veronica. It's not his fault." Her voice harden slightly as she turned her attention back to her friends. Her arms wrapped around her chest.

Veronica's eyes widen in realization. She moved closer to her girlfriend. "B?" She softly spoke.

Betty looked into her soulmate's eyes. "I think we finally got through to mom. But we also hurt Jughead." Her eyes lowered.

….

Sliding into the booth he sighed deeply as he watched as the girl across from him took a sip out of the cup. "Did you at least order me one?"

"Of course I did." Toni smirked. "I see that changed out of your suite and tie."

"Archie is the suite and tie man. Not me." Jughead shrugged as he stared out of the window into the night. "Soon everything will change. No one will want to always remain here together. They are leaving."

"They will always call Riverdale home. Sides you'll leave yourself Jughead." Toni carefully took in the side profile of the nineteen year old young man.

"Riverdale is my home. I belong here. They don't." Jughead turned back to look at Toni. "I always knew that. But yeah Riverdale will remain in their souls."

"In Betty's soul." Toni nodded.

Jughead stiffened up at the sound of her name. "I got into Carson College." He said instead.

"That's great. I'm attending myself." Toni nodded easily. She understood his deep need to change the subject. She knew that he didn't want or need to dwell on some hurtful truths at the moment. But she very well knew that before the core four were spilt up that they would finally find peace through it.

Jughead relaxed against the booth. "I thought you would leave when Cheryl leaves."

"Cheryl and I are best friends Jughead; but she doesn't always need me by her side." Toni sighed. "Sides I really don't want to always have to watch as she tries to outgrow her childish ways."

Jughead's eyes narrowed. "If she's planning on going after Betty …." His fists clenced on the table.

"Cheryl wants to make peace with Betty. She was lying." Toni sighed. "Sometimes she feels safer if she could be at odds with Betty." Her mouth softened. "But with the twins there is no way Cheryl wants to lose another member of her family."

Jughead tightly nodded. "But if Cheryl oversteps her bonds then I'll end her."

"Now now Jughead." Pop sighed as he placed the coffee in front of the tight young teenage young man.

"Thanks for the coffee Pops." Jughead nodded as he placed his hand around the coffee cup.

Pop sighed and walked away.

Toni sighed as she lifted her coffee cup once more. "So when is the rest of the gang going to be here?"

Jughead remained silent. He looekd out the window in the darkness of Riverdale once more.

 **End Prelude**

 **Author's Note: The main couplings are Betty and Veronica; and Jughead and Toni … although Jughead and Toni aren't in a relationship quite yet in the story … their love story will be told throughout the story … but they are endgame.**

 **Also: No Archie and Veronica never slept together when they "dated" they never even came close. So no memories of any shower sex or hotel rooms; or Veronica's bedroom. Archie and Veronica only "dated" to take the heat off of Betty in Alice's radar …. even before Betty herself fully realized that Veroncia truly was her soulmate.**

 **Betty NEVER used Jughead as her bread. They honesty did date in Sophmore year (as on the show) … I don't know if I'm going to have them sleeping together … or even close to sleeping with one another …. but when I write their love story through flashbacks I'll see how my muse wants to write it.**

 **Hal and Alice are together. They refuse to give up on their marriage … because they truly and deeply love one another.**

 **The current year of this story is 2020.**


End file.
